NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY

JULY 2026

June 28-July 4: Building heat accompanied the modest drying trend from the central and southern Plains into the middle and southern Atlantic States, excluding Florida’s peninsula. Near- or above-normal weekly temperatures prevailed along and east of a line from southeastern Arizona into the western Dakotas. Readings averaged 5 to 10°F above normal in most areas from the Midwest into the middle and northern Atlantic States. In contrast, readings averaged at least 5°F below normal at many interior locations across the West. Despite the cool weather, an elevated wildfire threat continued to plague parts of the western U.S., amid ongoing drought, low humidity levels, and gusty winds. By early July, year-to date U.S. wildfires had charred more than 3.3 million acres of vegetation, well above the 10-year average of 2.3 million.

Across the central and eastern U.S., temperatures soared to 100°F or higher as far north as the central High Plains and were frequently observed in the middle Atlantic coastal plain. The onset of the mid-Atlantic heat coincided with days leading up to and continuing through Independence Day weekend, resulting in some of the hottest Fourth of July weather on record. In fact, July 1-3 featured a trio of triple-digit, daily-record highs in Roanoke, VA, with readings of 100°F each day. Elsewhere in Virginia, Charlottesville opened the month with four consecutive daily-record highs (101, 102, 103, and 101°F). Besides Charlottesville, the hottest July 4 on record occurred in locations such as Atlantic City, NJ (106°F); Washington, DC (103°F); Danville, VA (103°F); Raleigh-Durham, NC (103°F); Baltimore, MD (102°F); Wilmington, DE (102°F); Salisbury, MD (102°F); and Norfolk, VA (100°F). Norfolk’s previous Fourth of July record, 98°F, had been set in 1879. Independence Day records from 1919 were broken in Danville, Salisbury, and Washington, DC. If verified, Atlantic City’s reading of 106°F will tie an all-time station record, originally set on June 28, 1969. For several mid-Atlantic sites, July 2 was the hottest day in more than a decade. For example, July 2 readings of 103°F in Philadelphia, PA, and 101°F in Trenton, NJ, were the stations’ highest temperatures since July 23, 2011. Trenton attained 101°F again on July 3. With a high of 103°F on July 2, Reading, PA, recorded its hottest day since July 7, 2012, when it was also 103°F. Record-setting warmth extended as far north as Maine, where Bangor (93°F on July 2) achieved its first 90-degree reading of the year. New York City (100°F on July 2) notched its first triple-digit reading since July 18, 2012, when it was also 100°F. In contrast, chilly weather prevailed in the West. On June 28, daily record lows dipped to 30°F in Eureka, NV; 33°F in Burns, OR; and 44°F in Paso Robles, CA. Ely, NV, registered a daily-record low of 27°F on June 29. In Wyoming, Big Piney tallied a trio of daily record lows (28, 26, and 30°F) from June 29 – July 1. Cool, showery weather covered much of Alaska. During the afternoon of July 3, Fairbanks briefly reported pea-sized hail. Selected Alaskan daily-record lows included 24°F (on June 28) in Utqiagvik and 36°F (on July 4) in Cold Bay. Two days later, on the 6th, Cold Bay logged its first-ever July freeze with a low of 32°F.

5-11: Temperatures were at near- or above-normal levels and moisture demands for crops near a peak, some areas slipped regarding available soil moisture. Still, many crops continued to fare well, with roughly two-thirds of the U.S. corn (68 percent) and soybeans (65 percent) rated in good to excellent condition on July 12. In the West, the monsoon circulation remained poorly established, with notable shower activity mostly limited to areas along and east of a line from southeastern Arizona to eastern Colorado. By week’s end, year-to date U.S. wildfires had burned almost 3.6 million acres of vegetation, above the 10-year average of nearly 2.7 million acres. Weekly temperatures averaged at least 5°F above normal in parts of several regions, including the Desert Southwest, northern High Plains, northern Intermountain West, and southern Atlantic States. Near-normal temperatures were observed in the Northeast, along and near the Pacific Coast, and in most areas from the central and southern Plains into the middle and lower Mississippi Valley. Temperatures remained below 90°F all week in the heart of the Midwest, with only the western tier of the Corn Belt experiencing readings above 90°F. In contrast, late-week readings exceeded 100°F in central and eastern Montana and the western Dakotas. At the end of the Independence Day weekend, heat lingered across the South. Record-setting high temperatures for Sunday, July 5, included 102°F in Fayetteville, NC, and 98°F in Brownsville, TX. Fayetteville achieved triple-digit readings, with temperatures ranging from 100 to 102°F, from July 3-6 and 9-10. Elsewhere in North Carolina, Wilmington tallied a trio of triple-digit readings (102, 101, and 101°F) from July 8-10, with daily records occurring on the first and last day of the heat wave. In Florida, Winter Haven posted a pair of daily-record highs (99 and 98°F, respectively) on July 8 and 9. Elsewhere in Florida on the 9th, daily-record highs rose to 98°F in Punta Gorda and Brooksville. Another record (also 98°F) was set in Brooksville on July 10. Late in the week, a rapidly developing hot spell overtook northern sections of the Rockies and Plains., as well as portions of the Great Basin and Intermountain West. Record-setting high temperatures for July 11 soared to 105°F in Greybull and Worland, WY, and 104°F in Montana locations such as Billings and Miles City. Those readings portended one of Montana’s hottest days on record. Sunday, July 12 featured all-time station records in Miles City (115°F) and Billings (111°F), along with locations such as Salt Lake City, UT (109°F); Sheridan, WY (109°F); and Idaho Falls, ID (103°F). Montana’s highest verified reading on record remains 117°F, set in Glendive on July 20, 1893, and Medicine Lake on July 5, 1937. Temperatures rebounded to above-normal levels in northern Alaska, while near- or below-normal readings lingered across the southern half of the state. On the 6th in the Aleutians, Cold Bay recorded its first-ever July freeze, with a low of 32°F. Previously, Cold Bay’s lowest July reading had been 33°F on July 8, 1982. Other Alaskan daily-record lows included 31°F (on July 5) on St. Paul Island and 38°F (on July 7) in King Salmon.

12-18: Dry weather in the nation’s mid-section was accompanied by extreme heat, especially on the northern Plains, leading to increased stress on rangeland, pastures, and summer crops. Meanwhile, thick smoke from forest fires in Canada and northern Minnesota cloaked the Great Lakes and Northeastern States, resulting in very poor air quality and reductions in visibility.

Hot, dry Northwestern weather, accompanied by lightning strikes, led to a sharp increase in wildfire activity. By week’s end, more than two dozen wildfires in Washington and Oregon had collectively burned more than 300,000 acres of vegetation. Weekly temperatures averaged more than 5°F above normal in parts of California and from the northern Rockies and northern Intermountain West into the Great Lakes States. The hottest weather, relative to normal, stretched from the northern Plains into the upper Great Lakes region. Near-normal temperatures dominated the Southeastern and Atlantic Coast States, while readings averaged at least 5°F below normal in parts of Texas. The hottest weather on record prevailed early in the week from the Intermountain West to the northern Plains. July 12 featured all-time station records in locations such as Miles City, MT (115°F); Billings, MT (111°F); Sheridan, WY (109°F); and Salt Lake City, UT (109°F). All-time records extended as far north and west as Idaho, where Idaho Falls (103°F on July 12) eclipsed by 1°F a record that had been set on June 25, 1988. Although extreme heat remained largely outside the boundaries of the Midwest, readings ranging from 95 to 100°F were noted in parts of the northern and western Corn Belt. Particularly in areas of the western Corn Belt where soil moisture was lacking, the heat increased stress on reproductive corn and soybeans. In North Dakota, daily-record highs for July 13 included 105°F in Bismarck and 103°F in Dickinson. For Bismarck, it was the highest reading since July 22, 2021, when it was also 105°F. Dickinson tied a July record (set in 1988 and 2007) with 5 days of triple-digit heat, including 4 days in a row from July 11-14. In the upper Great Lakes region, record-setting highs for July 13 reached 97°F in International Falls, MN, and 96°F in Marquette, MI. The following day, Marquette’s minimum temperature of 76°F was the highest on record in that location (previously, 74°F on July 1, 2002). Heat also moved into the Northeast, where Syracuse, NY, notched a daily-record high of 98°F on July 14. During the mid- to late-week period, hot weather covered the middle and southern Atlantic States, although temperatures were suppressed in some areas due to dense smoke. July 15 featured daily-record highs of 100°F in Atlantic City, NJ, and 98°F in Allentown, PA; Georgetown, DE; and Winter Haven, FL. Elsewhere in Florida, Miami measured a daily record-tying high of 97°F on July 16. Eastern daily-record highs on July 17 included 99°F in Florence, SC, and 95°F in Bristol, TN.

19-25: A building ridge of high pressure across the western and central U.S. led to significantly above-normal temperatures as far east as the High Plains and limited opportunities for widespread precipitation. The hot, often dry weather resulted in diminishing topsoil moisture and increasing crop stress. Weekly temperatures broadly averaged at least 5°F above normal across the western half of the U.S., with a few exceptions. The hottest weather, relative to normal, spanned the northern Intermountain West.

Early in the week, developing heat over the western and central U.S. resulted in triple-digit, daily-record highs for July 20 in McAllen, TX (107°F), and Twin Falls, ID (100°F). McAllen notched additional daily records on July 21 and 22, with respective readings of 106 and 108°F. Elsewhere in Texas, Galveston (100°F on July 22) observed its highest July reading since July 8, 1939. Galveston’s monthly record remains 101°F on July 16, 1932. Heat also affected the Pacific Coast States, where Ellensburg, WA, posted a record-setting high of 100°F on July 22. Barstow-Daggett, CA, logged a daily-record high (112°F) on July 23. Late in the week, extreme heat continued in much of the West and developed on the Plains. July 24 featured a daily-record high of 117°F in Phoenix, AZ. A day earlier in Texas, record-setting highs had reached 106°F in Borger, 105°F in Dalhart, and 104°F in Amarillo. Another daily-record high of 104°F occurred in Amarillo on July 24, while Bismarck, ND, achieved a record high of 105°F. On July 25, the week ended with an all-time station record of 112°F in Rapid City, SD; the previous standard had been 111°F on July 15, 2006. Elsewhere on the 25th, triple-digit, daily-record highs soared to 108°F in Scottsbluff, NE; 107°F in Miles City, MT; 104°F in Sheridan, WY; 103°F in Salt Lake City, UT; 102°F in Helena, MT; and 101°F in Denver, CO. Heat also spread eastward into Florida, where daily-record highs for July 25 surged to 99°F in Orlando and Winter Haven. In contrast, a surge of cool air into the Midwest and Northeast led to several daily-record lows, including July 23 readings of 47°F in Youngstown, OH, and 52°F in Dubuque, IA. Cool, stormy weather continued through a second consecutive week in Alaska. On July 20, daily rainfall records were set in Anchorage (0.84 inch) and Cold Bay (0.70 inch). Cold Bay also notched a daily-record low of 39°F on July 20, along with Kodiak (also 39°F).

26-Aug. 1: Hot, dry weather prevailed in the south-central U.S., including the western Gulf Coast region and much of the southern Plains.

Weekly temperatures broadly averaged at least 5°F above normal from the Four Corners States to the High Plains, extending into portions of the upper Midwest. Above-normal temperatures were observed across much of the South, but near- or below-normal readings spread into areas along and near the Pacific Coast, extending as far south as central California. Near- or below normal temperatures also stretched from the eastern Corn Belt into the middle and northern Atlantic States. The week began with heat baking the Plains and adjacent Rockies. Record-setting high temperatures for July 26 soared to 111°F in McCook, NE; 109°F in Russell and Garden City, KS; 107°F in Bismarck, ND; and 107°F in Burlington and Pueblo, CO. In Kansas, record-shattering highs for July 27 rose to 111°F in Hill City and 110°F in Russell and Garden City. In Texas, a trio of daily record highs occurred from July 26-28 in Amarillo (104, 105, and 104°F) and Borger (106, 107, and 105°F. Later, heat overspread the Deep South, where triple-digit, daily-record highs included 100°F (on July 28) in Hattiesburg, MS, and 101°F (on July 29) in Tallahassee, FL. That marked Tallahassee’s first triple-digit reading and hottest day since September 2, 2024, when it was also 101°F. During a final surge of heat into the north-central U.S., daily-record highs for July 29 in North Dakota included 104°F in Bismarck and 99°F in Grand Forks. Late in the week, heat was focused on the Deep South before rapidly appearing across the West. Miami, FL, notched consecutive daily-record highs of 96°F on July 30 and 31. On the last day of July, heat in the Southwest led to daily record highs in Safford, AZ (110°F), and San Jacinto, CA (108°).

Alaskan temperatures returned closer to normal levels, although chilly conditions lingered in some northern areas. Despite the modest warming trend, daily-record lows included 27°F (on July 30) in Utqiagvik and 40°F (on July 29) in Kodiak.< 

 

Jim G. Munley, jr.
http://www.jimmunleywx.com